The Lion King: The Difference of Decisions
by MadAboutStories
Summary: One decision is all it takes. It can ruin and destroy. And sometimes, it can bring joy. Only a single thing is certain: the Pridelands will never be the same again.
1. Prolouge: The Dawning Of A New Era

**A/N: **Hi to all fellow writers and readers! Ok, here we go. *clears throat*

I really, really (x10000) want to become an author when I'm older. So, please make you sure that you review this. :) Just tell me, honestly, what you thought about it- what was good, what was bad and how I can improve my writing techniques. :)

For those of you who are reading my second story that is yet to be completed (Journeys of the Spritual Kind), please don't think I've forgotten about it. I'm not sure right now if it'll take a back seat as I begin this new story or whether I'll update both of them consistently. However, if Journeys of the Spiritual Kind hasn't been updated for a while, I'm either working on this or in a writer's block with it. Both stories will get completed though. ;)

Also, the Outlanders in "The Lion King 2" don't exist on this story. That's Zira and Kovu etc.

_Italics _represent a character's unspoken thoughts. :)

* * *

**Prolouge- The Dawning of a New Era**

_"Ssh, little one. You're safe..."_

_His uneven cries faded away as quickly as they had come. Only darkness surrounded him but it did not scare him in the slightest, not now. The voice that sounded from above meant no harm. Even though it was extremely feeble, it made him feel peaceful and calm. He wished that he could see the creature that was soothing him but the somehow comforting black that enveloped his body did not disappear._

_Sensing warm fur brushing softly against his own, he turned his head to seek, yet again, for the source of his protector. Instead, a gentle, caressing lick of the tongue moved silently across his head. The voice whispered again, but this time it was near impossible to hear. "Just like me, aren't you?" it uttered, now sounding in great pain, the words making themselves known in short, sharp intakes of air. A gasp pierced his ears. His weak muscles tensed insticntively, hairs on edge. "Never be afraid of it... embrace it."_

_The last sentance trailed off. Expecting more to come, he waited and listened. Only mocking silence answered him. He whimpered, slightly frightened, burying himself against the once comforting fur that his unknown saviour had. He wept again because the creature that had brought him so much comfort, still did not answer his pleas._

_Nothing..._

The lion felt himself slowly awaken from the depths of, what should have been, a much deeper sleep. He tried to capture the last few moments of the dream, the dream he'd experienced since...well, he'd always experienced it- during every single maddeningly frustrating night. But the images in his jumbled mind slipped far away from him like miniscule grains of sand. Opening his eyes, letting the annoying crust of sleep fall from them, his jaw stretched into a wide yawn. Remembering the dream didn't really matter to him, anyway; he was more troubled by _why_ it kept deciding to sneak up on him when he never expected it to.

Glancing at the entrance of the cave he now decided to call "home", the dark maned lion noticed the sky outside. It was stained with a colour of darkest blue, tiny silver stars dotted throughout it, each casting their own small glow of...hope. A memory of shining vividness, that was not tainted by the harshness of realtity tried to glide to the front of his mind but he forced himself to not relive it. With a surge of anger, he knew that blocking it from himself took a near impossible amount of willpower. _How pathetic_ he scolded himself bitterly. _Are you not strong enough for that one, simple act?_

An abrupt, high pitched squeak caused him look down at his front paws. A young, grey mouse was trapped beneath one of them; only the thin, straggly tail visible. It flicked in a severely agitated manner and he could feel the small animal struggling to free itself from his light grip. _Hmm, never tried mouse before_ he thought ironically, as his stomach decided to emmit a particularly loud rumble at that precise moment. He could almost register a time when he wasn't constantly hungry but what choice did he have? He didn't dare go and collect his share of the kill, not with everyone staring- he'd had enough of that. And hunting wasn't exactly his "forte."

So, he picked up the mouse between his sharp claws absentmindedly. While opening his mouth, he still couldn't believe he'd sunk so low as to do this. But it was food; no matter how small.

Just before he placed the unusually motionless animal into, literally the jaws of defeat, something stopped him. In those beady black eyes of the unfortunate creature, he saw...everything. Yes, everything was bluntly staring at him through the depths of nothingness. "Oh, don't look at me like that," the lion half sighed, slowly lowering the mouse back to where it belonged. Releived, it scurried off to a little crevice within the cracked stone walls. The tail was the last thing he saw before it too was whisked quickly into darkness.

"You could stay," he called out, not really talking to the animal. It was his own useless attempt of breaking the silence that he'd forced himself to contend with. "You're my first visitor, after all... Second, actually," he added.

The dark maned lion waited for a couple of minutes, then looked once again at the sky outside. He groaned when he knew it was still deeply blue, almost a striking indigo. It was an age away from the time when the others would wake. But he knew there was no point in getting back to sleep; he was one of those lions that, once awake, he simply could not drift off again. _Back to endless pacing, then._

However, the fact remained that soon after dawn, _he _would arrive, as he had done for the past seven days in a row. He wondered when he would ever give up for it really was getting quite tiring facing him every morning. But, he knew that he was stubborn. _As stubborn as I am. Well, at least we've got one thing in common._

He stretched, elongating his limbs in a way some lionesses would describe as graceful. Camly standing up, he began his mindless pacing. And so, the dark maned lion kept on waiting for the inevitable to come.

* * *

_He tried to hide it but his breathing quickened alarmingly, as did his heart, the repetitive drum that hammered uncomfortably against his chest. The scent of danger hung heavily in the air but what could he do? There was no point in turning back now._

_A terrifying roar seemed to cut open the very savannah itself and he saw the deadly flash of teeth that glinted like perilous diamonds. _

_"You **dare **to defy **me?!** Show your King some respect!"_

He gasped loudly as the nightmare that was seeped with the bitterness of real life left him. The imaginary roar seemed to echo painfully in his ear as if it had sounded right beside him. He exhaled, letting the air escape his being ever so gradually so that the rest of the Pride would not hear. The lionesses were clearly deep in slumber- he noticed that with a small smile as he looked around his home. The only signs of movement were their chests that gently rose and fell in their sleep.

But two members of the Pride were missing. One of them was a lioness. That didn't come as a surprise to him because she had always disappeared from the cave every dawn for what seemed like forever, now- it had become a normal thing, one to be expected. The lioness whose precense he wholly relied upon was here, though, which made his heart swell and become considerably lighter. Her tan pelt was illuminlated by the rays of sudden sunshine that were pouring into the spacious cave. She seemed to be in a peaceful sleep and he grinned when he noticed that her body was curled so it touched his own fur softly. This made him feel safe and it comforted him to know that her relaxed stance meant she needed him, too.

He moved extremely carefully round her, gently pushing her paws that were wrapped loosely around his forelegs. The golden lion's amazingly amber eyes squinted in the abrupt brightness. They raised heavenward when he saw the back of a lioness sitting on the edge of Pride Rock. _There you are-**again.**_

"Morning, Sarafina," he called out to her in a teasing, sing-song tone.

Her head rose and turned to face him. She rose her eyebrows indignantly. "It's _Saffy_," she reprimanded, sounding slightly annoyed.

He sighed and slowly moved to sit beside her. The view was magnificent- the sun glowing high in the cloudless, azure blue sky highlighted the whole of the Pridelands; every tree, every rock, every little detail. It still dazed him that he had the crucial role of taking care all of this and he once again felt the immense weight of responsibility crushing his body. Brushing these concerns aside, though, he said softly, "You shouldn't let it spoil a lovely name."

The lioness did not reply and the twinge of frustration niggled at his mind. Such a short time ago, Sarafina was so sure of herself, so confident, always chatting kindly to everyone...now she was barely recognisable._ But_, he reminded himself, _give her time to get back to her old self..._

"Are you ok, then?" Sarafina asked. "Today is a big day for you, after all."

His stomach squirmed at the very vague mention of it. "I'm fine," he lied inconvincingly, looking down at his paws like a sheepish cub. A joking shove answered him. "Don't fib, Mufasa- I know you far to well for that!" she retorted, laughing quietly.

He tried to chuckle but the sound came out strange and strangled. Sarafina stopped, sensing her close friend's mood. "Are you going to try _again_?"

The determined look he gave her as a reply answered everything. "I've got to. He's...family. I love him and-" The lion faltered. "I'm sure he cares, too..."

She snorted. "Yeah, well he's got a funny way of showing it. He's deserted you! We never see him and-"

"Saffy," he warned the lioness not unkindly but firmly. It aggravated him whenever anyone spoke ill of the lion, even though a few of the things that were said about him he thought had some truth in them. She noticed the warm yet serious tone in his voice and backed down. He wondered if he should tell her...but decided not to. Not without permission.

"I think you should visit later, Mufasa. Isn't the ceremony meant to be performed in the morning?"

"I want to learn to rule on my own. Besides...he's more important."

***

His claws dug into the ground nervously, creating deep marks in the healthy ground. He knew he had the power to turn back and ignore it all but he also knew the guilt would more than likely gnaw away at him until... Mufasa shuddered. _Well, here we go._

The crimson maned lion hesitantly lept of the small ledge, making his way cautiously towards the far too small cave. _He can't enjoy living here, surely...? _He stepped over the threshold, the first thing he noticed was the long claw marks etched deep into one of the cave walls. Only then did he see his brother, who was pacing up and down the cramped area. Mufasa cleared his throat quietly but Scar's ears pricked up and he spun around. The emerald green eyes flashed for a second, drawing attention to the crescent moon shaped scar that ran down his left eyelid.

He inwardly winced at his brother's appearance. _He's getting thin; **too **thin._

"Good morning, your majesty," the lion uttered scornfully, before resuming his pointless ritual of pacing. It took a siginificant number of seconds before Mufasa realised that "your majesty" was directed at him. He automatically assumed the title still belonged to the old King- his father...

There was an extremely awkward (well, awkward for Mufasa) pause. Scar still strode swiftly across the cave floor, not even acknowladging that his brother was still standing near him. After waiting for what he felt was a sufficient length of time, Mufasa cleared his throat once more; two times, pointedly. The dark maned lion eventually halted, scrutinizing his brother with a steely gaze. "What's the point anyway, Mufasa?" he inquired cooly. "You're only here to ask the very same question, like you do every single time you "visit." The answer isn't going to change."

Anger bit at his heart persistently, but he pushed the feeling away with difficulty. "I was hoping it would," he replied, trying to talk calmly. When his brother simply stood there, still looking him up and down, he continued, "It would mean a lot-"

The red maned lion was cut off by a scoff from Scar: "Oh, I'm _so _sorry to disappoint you, sire," he spat, every word dripping with sarcasm. "Did you want all of your subjects to rejoice for the new King who will lead them into a bright and glorious future?!"

As Scar spoke, he moved closer and closer to him, until their noses were almost touching. Scar's blows were tearing into Mufasa's soul for his brother did not need to wound by using violence- words did the damage for him. He was seething with barely unconcealed rage but did not retort. _Don't rise, whatever you do, don't rise..._

But then Scar dealt the deadly attack, "This isn't a fairytale. Get over yourself."

Mufasa was sure he felt something inside him snap painfully. This wasn't the first time that his brother had injured him with words. In this particular case, he knew the one thing that would hurt Scar the most. Normally, he never would have dreamed of uttering it, but the strength of his fury clouded all sense of reason. "I'd be careful, if I were you," Mufasa whispered dangerously, looking directly into the lion's dark green eyes, seeing through the black pupils. "With that attitude, you'll find yourself with a _real _scar."

_Oh my...you **idiot!**_

A silence claimed them both and only then did Mufasa understand what he'd just said. He audibly gasped at his own actions, recoiling back from the lion, feeling that a swipe would soon strike him. However, Scar was absolutely still; he could hear his rapidly ragged breathing.

"I'm- I..." He attempted to force the much needed apology out but his brother,once again, interuptted him. The green eyes stared and stared. "Get out," he hissed icily, claws abruptly gripping the hard rock beneath his paws. Apart from that single thing, his position appeared normal.

Mufasa mouthed sentances that were never voiced, stepping back to the exit of the cave clumsily, tripping over his own paws which he had never done before. Then he left, or rather, fled. No pathetic goodbyes or excuses- he just fled.

If he had stayed one second longer, he would have seen a single tear, leaking out of Scar's eye, trickling down his guant cheek and falling to the ground without a sound.

* * *

Her mind was spinning. This was too much to take in. This could not possibly be real. No, that was it. This was all happening to another lioness- not her. Surely not her. She closed her eyes, but when she opened them she was still in the exact same situation. The baboon was surveying her with a mixture of curiousity and mild amusement; like how one would watch an adolsencent lioness embarking on her first hunt.

_Well, don't just sit there gaping. Say something! _"Are you positive, Rafiki?" she asked breathlessly. "Absolutely sure?"

The shaman flashed her a kind grin. "I'm not meaning to boast, but yes, I am completely sure."

Sarabi glanced at the trunk of the colossal tree in front of her, hoping that the ancient bark might give her guidance, answers, anything really. She almost felt sick, sick with nerves. _What on earth am I going to tell him?!_

Rafiki laughed. "Sarabi, shouldn't this be a moment of celebration?" he told her, winking.

What felt like a warm glow made itself known in the lionesses chest, giving her remarkable feelings of joy and excitement. The fear of it all still existed, it was just dimmed slightly by the other far more important emotions. She did wish that the timing could have been a bit better..._Oh, stop complaining. You should be grateful!_

* * *

The long grass tauntingly brushed against the back of Mufasa's heels, making them itch irritatingly. However, he didn't notice this fully. He was still coming to terms with what had just happened, or rather, what _hadn't _happened. The troubled lion felt that everyone assumed he should be happy today, all because of him changing from the Prince to the King of Pride Rock. Really, this day would only have been perfect if he could have hus brother back. Last night, he had pictured it all before going to sleep- how Scar would successfully return to where he belonged and... just _be _with him. That's all he wanted; _family. _

Now, he didn't have a clue why he had blissfully dreamt of peace. How childish his outlook on life was... _I'm not ready to be King. _But Mufasa knew that this wasn't something you could run from. He had only one choice: to become King and make sure the Pridelands stayed healthy or give up and watch them slowly rot and decay. The choice was simple to make but it wasn't easy.

Mufasa looked up at Pride Rock, the midday sun shining like a burning beacon, a flame of golden fire over it. This signalled that he was late, extremely late and he imagined a whole host of Past Kings looking down on him from the sky scornfully, shaking their regal heads with disappointment and shame. He sighed heavily, wondering if he would ever be considered worthy enough to join his ancestors in the grand openess that was the great African sky.

"King Mufasa" the lion spoke slowly, trying to taste the words on his tongue as he drew ever closer to the intimidating rock. The name didn't feel right, it was wrong, all wrong. He merely wanted to be Mufasa- _just_ Mufasa because he had never given the chance to be anything else. Even as a cub, it was _Prince_ Mufasa. His lip curled in embarrassment. _But Sarafina knows that I'm just a lion, she always has. And Sarabi, too...Sarabi._

As he climbed with ease to Pride Rock, he was met with a whole host of lionesses, perfectly alligned at the base of the rock tower. Most looked bored and impatient and he almost cowered under their gaze as if they were large, menacing beasts. Sarafina was the only one whose look appeared sympathetic. She moved closer to him and whispered in his ear,"Sarabi's inside."

Mufasa nodded and started to go to the cave but then turned and gave Sarafina a look, trying to communicate without the lionesses hearing. It was a thanks-but-they-don't-look-very-pleased kind of look. Yes, it was obscure, but Sarafina, being the lioness she was, understood. "Take all the time you need," she told him in a slightly louder tone than usual so the Pride learnt their lesson. One lioness tutted as Mufasa disappeared but he noticed, and a bit of his dwindling self confidence was shattered.

Sarafina stared at her in disbelief. _Can't they give him a break? _"I'm sorry, do you have a problem?" she enquired, addressing her directly, feigning politeness. The lioness rose her eyebrows but shook her head slowly, turning to chat with the others.

* * *

Mufasa gulped, looking across at Sarabi in curiosity, who was positioned at the very back of the cave. He moved towards her apprehensively. "Are you alright?"

"Yes," she replied but her voice sounded extremely timid, alerting his suspicions. But she then said, slightly more sure of herself, "How did it go with...?"

Mufasa grimaced, trying to think of the best way of answering her. Perhaps his uneasiness must have shown on his face because she stated quickly,"Never mind."

He was filled with a sudden longing to run to her and just forget everything. To pretend that he and her were the only creatures exisiting in this place. Obviously, he didn't voice these thoughts because the nervousness that had been building up inside of him ever since he had awakened was threatening to reach an unbearable point. He gritted his teeth to stop a cry sounding from him but Sarabi saw. "What is it?" she said softly in her beautiful voice, pronouncing each sound of the words delicately.

He looked into her crimson eyes that were softened by the earthy colour of brown within them. His pulse quickened. "I can't do this," he said quietly.

Sarabu smiled now; a broad, tender, loving smile. "Of course you can," she encouraged him. "You've got a whole Pride who are behind you."

An uncertain laugh wobbled in the air from the crimson maned lion. "Somehow, I don't think all of them like the new King."

"They never liked the old one, either," Sarabi said, frustrated. Her eyes widened. "Sorry, that was totally stupid," she stammered.

_Why apologise? I'm thinking the same thing. _"You just need to show them what you can _do, _Mufasa," Sarabi persisted urgently. "You're a great leader, Sarafina and I know you are."

The nerves decided to let themselves be known to the lioness. "How can you _say_ that?!" he blurted out loudly. "I don't have a c-clue what to do! _He_ never told me what a King does!"

"Why don't you start be being the lion who I know. Just relax, be yourself."

With a shake of the head, Mufasa turned away from her. But he felt her head gently rest on his shoulder. "This isn't the best time to be telling you but..." She faltered, stopped and fell silent, forcing him to look at her. "What?" he asked, not really paying attention, still contemplating what decisions he would have to make later.

"Mufasa...I'm pregnant."

For a moment, he was sure he had misheard her. Something like this couldn't just happen so suddenly, especially not at this point in time. "You're _what?_"

Sarabi backed away, voice becoming higher. "I-I know it's not...with everything that's been going on but-" She swallowed. "Please don't be angry," she begged.

It was Mufasa's turn to grapple with words. "_Angry?_" he repeated. "Of course I'm not angry."

He was even more terrified than he was a few seconds ago. On top of everything- Scar, the old King, the Ceremony, the lion had to learn to be two very difficult things in an extremely short space of time. Now was the time to find out how to be a true King. And how to be a father. He was completely lost on how to do both of them.

* * *

**A/N: **That's the Prolouge done. I apologise that this was a rather slow beginning- I was just really trying to set the scene for the story and try and make the reader wonder what has happened in the past and what will happen later. The 1st chapter should be more eventful than this.

I don't think I have anything else to say. But you could...

Review? Pretty please? XD


	2. The Decision Is Made Right?

**A/N:** My latest piece of writing. :) This was my first attempt at properly writing for the hyenas' perspective, so I hope I've done them justice...I've also tweaked their personalities a little because they will not be used as comedy relief in this story.

As much as I love "Be Prepared" this is my (hopefully more realistic) take on how everyone reacted to Scar's "meticulous planning." XD

* * *

**Chapter 1: The Decision Is Made...Right?**

They didn't dare to move. All three of them stared with large, unblinking eyes of awe. And Banzai was sure that Scar was totally and undeniably insane. "You want to _what?!_" he gasped in strong disbelief, surveying the intelligent lion's face carefully, just to make sure that this wasn't his idea of a sick joke.

Scar wasn't even looking at him. He was staring up at the cold, stone ceiling, with a distant look on his distinct features. He seemed drained and who could blame him, for he had done nothing but talk and explain for the best part of an hour. "If you think I'm going to repeat it, think again," was the only reply he gave the incredulous hyena. Banzai spluttered incoherently for a few seconds, then shrank back in silence. He was already feeling guilty- tracking down and attempting to kill innocent cubs was not the best thing he could've done. He was easily led into things, though and Shenzi, his eldest and only sister knew it. "C'mon, it's only ickle lion cubs," she hissed at him before they made their entrance from behind the eye sockets of the elephant's skull. "It's just food to us."

Food. The meagre meat that Scar had promised him settled in his stomach comfortably. He could not fully enjoy it, however, not after facing the wrath of the rightly named "mighty" King Mufasa. Though, he could sort of understand why he was so angry. "Sort of" being the opertative words. Shenzi soon interupted his now muddled train of thought. "Right, so let me get this straight," she pressed Scar, stepping towards him with a somehow overconfident air of authority, "You want _us_ to help _you_ become King by killing _the_ King and _the_ Prince?"

The lion tore his gaze from above and glanced at the over dominating, female hyena. "Well, if you'd listened, you would know what I plan to do."

Shenzi glared defiantly. She hated being undermined by Scar and everyone knew it. As of now, she chose not to retort, not after what her "leader" had revealed to her and her brothers. Speaking of them, Banzai was roused to speak, hardly believing that Shenzi and especially Scar were accepting this idea so readily. It was like they were chatting about something as unimportant as the weather, just an ordinary, everyday thing. At least when trying to eat the lion cubs, which he never really agreed to in the first place, it had been for some half justifiable reason. The hyenas, not just them but the whole pack were hungry and it would soon slip into starvation unless drastic measures were taken. He never knew it would have to be _this_ drastic, now he came to think about it.

"Oh, yeah. Great idea. Who needs a King(!)" he exclaimed somewhat scornfully, still wondering what was going on within Scar's mind. He was plotting to kill most of his family and so far had not batted an eyelid. That changed in an instant. At Banzai's flippant remark, he practically leapt up, looking suddenly enraged.

"I'm serious, Banzai- if you don't shut up _right now_, I'll-" He stopped in mid sentence, breathing deeply. Then, in the exact same scarily short amount of time it took for him to begin his threat, he fell silent, sitting back down as if nothing had happened.

_Yup, he's mad, alright _Banzai thought, frustrated beyond belief. Ed, who was standing by him, giggled weakly in an apprehensive manner. Both Shenzi and Scar simultaneously turned to stare at him angrily, making his brother wisely decide to leave with him. "Man, I've had enough of this," he muttered, making to find the same place in the eerie hideout to sleep. "C'mon, Ed, let's go."

Shenzi did not follow them, as she usually did. In fact, she was normally the one in front of them. Tonight, her mind had begun to formulate things that she wouldn't have dared to contemplate until now. She felt odd, but in a good way at the prospect of power that Scar had offered the hyenas. Never again would they be forced to scavenge for food or let the lions rule over them, as they had done for centuries. She smirked, asking Scar as she did so, "And is this plan of yours going to work? You've got _absolute_ faith in it, haven't you?"

Scar blinked slowly like he had been pulled out of a vivid daydream. It took him a while to focus on the female hyena and remember her question. When he did, his voice didn't sound cold and fierce. It sounded blunt and dull, as if he was repeating a fact that had been drilled into him since he was born. "It's foolproof," he replied, quietly.

* * *

The two brothers crawled cautiously through the hidden curved circle within the wall of stone. It was quite a small opening, and one would not notice it unless they knew that it was positively there. Banzai was glad it was there- it brought some sense of escapism from the rest of the hyena pack; some peace when sleep came. Both male hyenas were awake, however and even though Ed seldom- no, scratch that: _never_ spoke, Banzai knew he was thinking about Scar's unexpected proposal as much as he was. The yellow eyes of his brother glittered in thought.

"So, do you have anything to say about all of this?" he sighed, resting his head on the ground. As always, Ed did nothing but blink and stare at him.

* * *

He almost glided through the grasslands, making sure not to make any sort of noise. The last thing he needed right now was the distraction of other creatures. He felt detached somehow and he wasn't expecting to feel like that. Not right now. When he had visioned this moment, he always thought it would be filled with emotions of...victory? No..._purpose._ He knew what was _going_ to happen and_ how _it would happen and _who _was going to make it all happen. Didn't he deserve something that was relatively positive? But, at this point in time, he felt as if he was not in his body at all. It was a totally different lion who had calmly explained everything to Shenzi, Banzai and Ed. It was a totally different lion who was making his way steadily through the Pridelands. It was a totally different lion who had weaved the plot that would begin tomorrow afternoon.

Laughter suddenly reached his cold ears; a deep, booming bass note of joy. There was only one he knew who had a laugh quite like that. _Just terrific timing_ he thought with a swift spike of anger as the muscular lion and the golden furred cub came into view. They were talking. Scar didn't know what they were talking about but they hadn't noticed him standing there yet, and that was fine by him. A peculiar thought and sensation made itself known to him. These lions, who were brimming with life, would be dead tomorrow. _Dead._ And even though he knew it, the reminder of it still shocked him. It shocked him more than anything else that had happened in his life.

Eventually, the cub tore his gaze away from his father and realised that his uncle was there. "Hey, Uncle Scar!" he called out happily, which made the dark maned lion wince. He winced at the excited expression that plastered itself on Simba's face and the way he grinned, no- beamed at him. Mufasa's eyebrows rose in surprise as he saw his younger brother and as his son bounded towards his uncle, he followed him; slowly and hesitantly, like he was crossing forbidden territory.

"What'cha doin', Uncle Scar?" the Prince asked, amber eyes that were precisely identical to his father's sparkling brightly, radiating with youth. Youth and contentment.

_What am I doing? Oh, nothing important. Just finalising the details which will involve you, your father, a herd of wildebeests and Death._

Somehow, the astonishingly truthful reply didn't really seem appropriate to the innocent question. Fortunately (or unfortunately) Mufasa, for whatever reason, stepped in, saving him from replying. "He's just out on a walk, Simba," he chuckled but the laughter didn't reach his eyes. There was confusion in those pupils of warmth. There was also something else that Scar picked up on for he could read his elder brother easily. It was child's play. He seemed unsettled in a way; not wholly _there._ And he knew exactly why but he stayed silent.

Simba broke the silence as each brother continued to gaze curiously at each other. "Hey, Uncle Scar!" he piped up, playfully batting the thin lion's left paw to grab his attention.

_God, does **every **single sentence he says begin with that?!_

He pulled away his paw a little too quickly, a little too suspiciously which made Simba tilt his head in confusion slightly. Almost immediately, though, the look was gone. Scar worked out that the cub had an attention span of roughly about...three seconds?

"Wanna come to Pride Rock with us?" the Lion Prince asked.

Scar eyes widened a little at that, caught of guard for a precious second. Something that wasn't really asked like that but was still essentially the same as Simba's query hadn't been mentioned for years. Chancing a quick glance at his brother, his heart sank briefly when he saw a flicker of hope flit over the face like a golden shadow. A shadow of past times.

"I'm a bit busy, Simba," he told his nephew carefully, not really bothered to mix in some sarcasm or scorn into his words. Not tonight.

The cub's face fell but he soon resumed to his perky self. "Oh. 'Kay," he shrugged, bounding back to his Dad_. Does he **ever** get tired? _Scar thought with some kind of mild amusement, pawing the soft ground absentmindedly. He noticed Mufasa's mouth was opening, ready to say something to him but it clamped shut as his young son reached his heels. "Oh, come on then," he said kindly. "Your mother's going to kill me for having you out this late." The unsettled look in the depths of his eyes didn't disappear. The King, almost reluctantly walked away with the cub, returning back to his home.

Yet the unsettled look was still there. Scar could feel it, even as his only family faded into the night.

* * *

Banzai groaned in protest as he felt someone nudging his body, forcing him to wake. He opened his eyes blearily, met with the sight of Shenzi standing above him. It felt like he had been sleeping for a hundred years, but it most have only been about ten minutes. "Aw, what do ya want, then?" he mumbled grumpily, sitting up slowly.

She rolled her eyes. "Nice to see you're pleased to see me."

"To tell ya the truth, sis, I've got slightly more important things to worry about than that."

Shenzi exhaled silently, then sat down beside her brother. She paused, not sure how to word it in the best way possible but ploughed on despite her doubts. "Banzai...I think that what Scar wants to do is-"

"-absolutely stark raving bonkers?" the hyena snapped impatiently.

Her upper lip curled into an annoyed snarl. "No, think about it. We've been waiting for an opportunity like this to come along for ages," she persisted, shifting towards her brother's unsure face. "Everyone's going hungry..."

"So you're willing to do something like _this _to solve it?!" Banzai scowled, still remaining unconvinced. She did not let her temper rise.

"What do _you _think?"

The male hyena looked at her properly as he heard how serious her tone was. There wasn't even the most minuscule hint of fear in his sister's voice- all he could hear was an unnerving amount of fiery determination. And, just like that, when he saw how committed Shenzi was to the whole thing, he was aware of his mouth moving unwillingly and of a promise that, deep down, he knew he could not keep: "As long as you think it's fine, I'm with you."

She did not smile. Instead she grinned, flashing her bright, deadly rows of teeth. A sight that he saw everyday now worried him slightly but they both settled down and soon slept. They had forgotten their other brother and Ed knew it, he knew it with a depressing kind of knowledge as he sat there, watching his siblings lie before him. But, he was used to it. No-one ever really asked him what his actual opinion was of anything, not Scar or Banzai and definitely not Shenzi. They all assumed that because he never spoke, he could never think or watch or realise. But he could. He knew the most important piece of information of all and it almost made him howl in their special hiding place:

The lives of three hyenas now hung on two very risky things: a plan...and a promise.

* * *

_Come on, Mufasa...sometime this year would be nice._

The Queen of Pride Rock stood outside, guarding the entrance to the cave. Something resembling the heat of lava was burning inside her belly but she forced her fury down. It was what she was good at, her secret talent. Ever since Zazu had returned with Nala, she knew that a certain something was not right. And when the wrongly ashamed majordomo told her everything quickly, that was when the lava began to swirl in her body and her mind. But she could not blame the hornbill that had done so much for the royal family nor the creamy coloured cub that had ran to her mother as rapidly as a lightning bolt. No. She had to hold in her anger and wait for the lion she did blame. And even though later she would regret scolding him, right now, she didn't care. The stunning stupidity of the situation eradicated all other emotions.

"Hey," a lioness said softly.

Sarabi turned, seeing Sarafina (_Saffy, then) _standing next to her. She smiled a bit, swallowing down the unpleasant feeling that threatened to consume her. "Hi, Saffy," she said, sighing slightly.

Her friend seemed awkward and she was about to ask what was wrong until she said: "Listen...I'm really sorry about what happened tonight. Nala's certainly not going to do anything like that again."

She shook her head kindly, "It wasn't Nala's fault. I'm sure it was Simba's idea to go "exploring."" But she still couldn't quite figure out what was going on in Simba's mind when he decided to go to the Elephant Graveyard. Of course she knew her son was far too inquisitive for his own good but she thought he would at least have some small piece of common sense. Her faith in herself as a mother was wavering considerably now.

Sarafina smirked knowingly. "Sarabi, my daughter knows what's right and wrong, don't put all this on your son. You know what they're like when they get together."

"Two little bundles of trouble," she replied, laughing gently, feeling a small part of the anger cool and ebb away. The two friends giggled together for a few seconds but the Queen was silenced abruptly when she saw her mate and son getting nearer and nearer to the cave within Pride Rock. Her eyes narrowed in a dangerous manner.

"Uh-oh; I know that look!" Sarafina joked, pretending to back away like a startled antelope. But she frowned as Sarabi didn't join in with the laughter for a second time, keeping her rather sombre expression. "Hey," she said quietly, "Don't be too hard on them, alright?"

The lioness looked at her, trying to muster a happier tone in her voice. "Don't worry," she winked at her. "I'll cut them some slack."

Sarafina didn't appear convinced but she disappeared into the darkness of the cave, sensing the need for privacy. Sarabi smiled with a grim kind of satisfaction that she wasn't used to when she saw Mufasa freeze for a moment as he saw how angry she was. Simba saw, too but he couldn't guess how intense her anger was in the same way his father could.

"So, where have you been?" she asked her disobedient son as they both drew nearer. "Oh, wait. _I already know_."

Mufasa gritted his teeth noticeably and gave his wife an astonishingly clear look. It was a look that plainly stated don't-take-it-all-out-on-him. That simply infuriated her more. She inhaled sharply, ready to begin her tirade when someone cut across her. "Simba, your Mum and Dad need to have a talk. Come inside."

And Sarafina was back, ushering Simba over to her in a caring manner. The cub looked over to his parents, not knowing what was building up between the couple. But, doing as he was told (_for a change)_, Sarabi thought savagely, he went into the source of shelter. Sarafina did not follow him. She watched Mufasa and Sarabi with a hint of disapproval. "Look, I don't know what you're going to say to each other," she told them, "But, I don't think Simba needs to hear it."

A wave of guilt washed over Sarabi momentarily and she was sure it did for Mufasa, too. But business needed to be taken care of. So, silently fuming, she stalked off into the Pridelands. It didn't take long for the King to reappear by her side. "I think you went a bit too far with Simba, there," he said as she strode on. At that remark, she whipped around, nearly baring her teeth.

"Do you now?!" she hissed. "Have you even considered what he put us through? What he_ did?!_"

"It was a mistake, Sarabi-"

"A mistake?!" she repeated, hardly daring to believe her ears, laughing cruelly. "He deliberately disobeyed us and what's _worse_, he put _Nala_ in danger and-"

Mufasa snorted. "Yeah, I already tried that tactic," he muttered, preventing her to continue the rushed list of their son's apparently many faults.

"Well, maybe it's time for a new one."

"Right, that's fine, isn't it? After all, you're the boss of me, aren't you? That's what it seems like from here."

Sarabi felt that she was prepared to scream right in the face of her mate that just this morning she thought could do no wrong. She resisted the urge to do so, though, no matter how strong it was. This issue needed to be solved, even if it took all night. "Mufasa...did you even actually tell him off?" she asked in a disappointed way, lowering the volume of her voice dramatically.

"Yes!" he burst out frustratedly, "Of course I did." But The Lion King's eyes did not quite meet her own. She nearly moaned at his reply, desperately wanting him, needing him to see the light.

"What did you say, then?" she asked. "What did you say to Simba?"

"I said..." Mufasa trailed off, looking down at the grass as if it would miraculously give him the perfect answer. But he still did not reveal anything to his mate. "It's not important," he uttered in a quiet voice, brushing past his mate and heading back to Pride Rock. The lioness leapt in front of him, blocking his way swiftly. He glared at her but she stood her ground.

"Not important? This is our _cub _we're talking about! Can't you see how it would feel for Zazu to say that your only son and your best friend's daughter nearly got killed, today? Nearly got killed by hyenas because they were in a place that _one_ of them knew was forbidden? You have no idea how I felt!"

"How do you bloody well think _I _felt, then?!" Mufasa half roared at her, his face shining with what she was sure was sheer terror. For a moment, she did not reply. When she could hear her mate's uneven breathing, the lava cooled and died in an instant. She suddenly noticed how unusually vulnerable her mate looked and her heart swelled with love in spite of herself. Simba was safe. Nala was safe. Mufasa was safe. What else mattered?

But she did not get the chance to say any of these things. Before she could stop him, the King spun around, heading to an unknown destination.

"Wh-where are you going?" she called after him.

He did not face her. He just kept on walking. And walking.

_You've really done it, now._

"Mufasa!" Sarabi shouted weakly. "Come back!" The lioness waited expectantly. But the lion who was so special that even when they fought furiously, she still loved him, did not return. She soon made her lonely way back to Pride Rock, back to her son. And she couldn't find the energy to wake him, to punish him. She knew that she wanted to tell him that his parents loved him. Loved him so much it sometimes hurt.

* * *

_That didn't go well, did it?_

Mufasa had eventually slowed to a more normal pace, then simply stopped walking altogether. He wasn't angry with his mate as he had been before. When she had screamed at him about how she felt, everything _he _had felt resurfaced, shockingly and painfully. The single fact that his son could've actually died today haunted him horribly and he still couldn't quite come to terms with the blur of events that had flitted past him. He remembered the shock of what his son had done, soon changing to anger and finally...absolute pure, nerve wracking, sickening horror. He didn't dare close his eyes for a second, even if he was only blinking, for the image of his son..._lying_ there appeared every time he did.

The Lion King looked up at the blanket of stars twinkling above him pensively, until he could almost recite the exact position of a small, tightly clustered group of them. Simba's words echoed within him: _"We'll always be together, right?"_

The question had surprised him beyond belief and he didn't have the heart to say, quite plainly, that...no-one, not even the creatures you cherished could live forever. Instead, he recalled the thing that he never thought could be any use to him. When he first found out about the philosophy, it seemed like a dream and he still wondered if it really was a dream but he wasn't about to tell Simba that. And he, himself, found the tale honestly quite beautiful and it comforted him a little to think that someone caring was guiding him from somewhere.

Breathing in the scent of night, Mufasa's gaze left the stars and when it did, he nearly jumped out of his skin. For his younger brother was sitting in front of him, just watching him intently, like he was waiting for something inspiring to happen. _Woah- met him twice in one night. New record._

There was an odd expression on Scar's face and he couldn't place what it was. "You okay?" he asked him.

His brother paused then shrugged, never keeping his eyes of him.

There was a long silence until Mufasa thought of something that perhaps would encourage Scar to speak. "Do you remember the last time we did this?" He tried to smile as he gestured to the stars with a slight raise of the head.

Scar nodded slowly. This alerted the King's suspicions even more; no matter what he said, his brother would always attempt to throw in some sarcastic or dry remark. It was only on the extremely rare occassion that he would say nothing at all. And he suddenly couldn't stand the stillness of the night and he was filled with the greatest desire to blurt out everything that had happened:

"Simba went to the Elephant Graveyard today," he said, not giving Scar a chance to but in; the words came out in such a rush. "And I specifically said not to go there and some hyenas found him and if I hadn't got there in time, he could've-"

"Mufasa," Scar cut across him clearly, putting an end to his tidal wave like speech. "Slow down."

He let out an intake of air far too quickly, feeling his body turn scarily rigid.

His brother waited for a long time, before saying,"...You were scared." The odd expression stood out even more so and he still couldn't firgure out what it meant.

Mufasa swallowed. Once. Then twice. "Yes," he told him shortly, feeling his face growing hot. For him, any sign of weakness meant that one wasn't fit to be King. His whole character had to be fiercly strong and hard like Pride Rock itself. At least, that's how he saw it.

The Lion King stood up and, without saying anything, swivelled round and went to return to where he was needed. He was stopped, however, by Scar: "Mufasa..."

So, he looked behind his shoulder, watching his younger brother expectantly. The dark maned lion stared at him for a few seconds, still with that unknown expression but, then said while sighing lightly, "Nothing."

Mufasa looked back to Pride Rock and made his way there, not knowing that his brother was still standing there, watching him as he went.

* * *

_Dad, where are you?_

It was no use; no matter which way he tossed and turned, Simba simply could not sleep. Not without his father with him. When Sarabi had laid down beside him, without Mufasa, he knew something was up. "Where's Dad?" the cub had asked.

"He'll just be coming," his mother replied abruptly.

It didn't sound right the way she said that and he moved away from her a little. He may have been a cub, but he wasn't completely stupid. "Have you had a fight...because of me?" he said timidly.

Sarabi looked down and smiled at him, licking the top of his head gently. "Of course not, sweetheart," she told him in a comforting voice but his nose still wrinkled at "sweetheart."

"Mum, I'm not a baby," he complained, but he couldn't help smiling.

The lioness looked at him strangely then, as if seeing him for the very first time. "I know you're not," she said quietly. "Try and get some sleep, alright?"

But he couldn't. Every night it had been the same: Mufasa on one side of him, Sarabi on the other. It felt like some part of him was missing when it wasn't like this. He buried himself into his mother's fur, trying to keep warm. This night was making everything seem confused and he didn't like it. Not one bit.

* * *

Pride Rock never looked so good as he entered the protection of the cave. Mufasa saw Sarabi sleeping soundly and carefully went to her. His heart filled with longing, a longing for her to wake and talk with him. Instead, he whispered in her ear, "I'm sorry, I'm really sorry." She didn't stir at all.

The lion lay down beside his mate and was immediately startled by a relieved cry: "Dad!"

He looked round Sarabi and found Simba looking up at him, grinning. "You haven't been awake all this time, have you?" Mufasa said, worried. Simba didn't reply. "Aw, Simba- you shoulda gone to sleep; I wasn't far."

His son looked down guiltily, making Mufasa chuckle. "Hey, I'm not mad at you," he smiled, wrapping his foreleg around the little cub.

"I wasn't tired, anyway," Simba protested but a large yawn escaped him.

He snorted, "Oh, sure."

"Was not!"

"Are too!"

"Was...not!"

"Are too!"

"...Was...n..."

Mufasa laughed as Simba cuddled into his chest, giving up the "arguement." He lowered his head onto the ground and closed his eyes. They soon opened when Simba said, "Dad..."

"Mmm?"

"I can hear your heart beating..."

Wide awake once more, Mufasa stared down at his son, a question on his lips but the Prince had fallen asleep, with a small smile on his face. He would never know just how fast his father's heart was beating when he rushed to the Elephant Graveyard. The King shivered and shifted silently closer to Simba, tightening his grip on him ever so slightly. His son had wanted to prove how brave he was today, and by the Gods, he had proved that, alright. And then he noticed that how a few months ago, he could've almost cupped the whole body of the cub in one paw, and now-

_Don't grow up too fast, Simba...I don't want to lose you just yet..._

And as the Lion King fell asleep, too, you could have sworn that his and his son's hearts were beating as one.

* * *

**A/N:**Hmm, not how I planned to end this one, at all... but when I wrote that sentance, it just seemed finished- I felt I would spoil the mood if I added anymore. I actually planned to finish with Scar's point of view but no worries, the moment I had planned for him will probably become the opening to the next chapter. Hope you liked this chapter, everyone, I spent a lot of time working on it! (And re-writing it...twice). :)


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